Luminescence
by Lady Artimes Blaine
Summary: A fan from our world finds herself fighting for her life in the universe of Stargate: Atlantis. Was it mere chance, a mistake the universe has no intention of fixing, or was there a purpose for her presence? Mysteries begin to unfold as Artz discovers who she truly is and why she was brought to Atlantis, but what will happen when a certain major worms his way into her heart?
1. Chapter 1: Chasing Hope

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome to my brand new story called _Luminescence_! This story is a Stargate: Atlantis story, but it isn't like normal stories. This is one of those stories where an original character finds themselves in the Stargate: Atlantis universe. Now this detail is very important because I went through the fan fiction for Stargate: Atlantis on Fan Fiction and I couldn't find a single story with a fan falling into the universe.

So with that being said, I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or anything related to the Stargate franchise. They belong solely to their respective owners and not to me. I also do not anything I make references to; mainly Doctor Who and an obscene amount of anime. I only own my OC, Artz, and other OCs or plot twists that were not in the original series.

On with the show!

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Chapter One: Chasing Hope

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Some people would be thrilled beyond words to find themselves on an alien planet in another galaxy but not her. For thirteen days, she had survived whatever the planet had thrown at her; finding shelter, enduring a storm, locating fresh water, finding edible food that wouldn't poison her, dodging the local wildlife that wanted to eat her, and even exploring the surrounding areas while searching for some form of civilization.

It was about halfway through her fourteenth day that they came…the pale skinned freaks with suckers in their hands and ridiculously long white hair. Upon locating her, they began to chase her like some wild animal…like she was nothing more than a ritualistic type hunt. With no other alternative, she ran…she ran without rest, without food or water…she simply ran. Who was pursing her? She knew who they were or more importantly, _what_ they were and until that day, she had believed that they were completely fictional.

The alien beings that were chasing her through a snow covered forest on an alien world were none other than a race simply known as the _Wraith_. They originated from the Pegasus Galaxy which she assumed was where she currently was and were the main enemies of the Atlantis Expedition.

Atlantis, a technologically advanced city built by the race known as the _Ancients_. These _Ancients_ were also referred to as the _Gate Builders_. They mastered the creation of stabilized wormholes and designed giant rings to act as the two sides of the bridge, allowing for interstellar travel to be possible without the use of star ships.

These circular structures came to be known as _Stargates_. These gates were used by many species including the aliens masquerading as the ancient Egyptian gods of Earth. When the Stargate was discovered during an archaeological dig, it was brought to the United States for study. For decades, no one could solve the mystery of the Stargate and unlock its secrets.

It wasn't solved until a young doctor named Daniel Jackson discovered the key to unlocking the mystery of the cap stones that once covered the Stargate. Then and only then was the gate's power finally revealed. He and a team of soldiers journeyed to the desert planet of Abydos and encountered Ra, one of the parasitic aliens that used humans as hosts. Through their actions and those who lived on Abydos, Ra was ultimately defeated. Doctor Jackson remained behind on Abydos while the soldiers that had accompanied him returned to Earth.

Sometime later, the gate was reactivated and brought both enemies old and new, but also friends, allies, and a deeper understanding of the universe. To ensure the safety of Earth and the continual exploration of the galaxy, Stargate Command was formed which, in turn, led to the creation of many teams, both scientific and militaristic, to combat threats, explore new worlds, and bring about lasting bonds of friendship and peace.

The most well known and most likely, the most successful team was SG1, a team led by Colonel Jack O'Neill. Colonel O'Neill was joined by the recently returned Doctor Daniel Jackson, the feisty yet competent Captain Samantha Carter, and a Jaffa warrior named Teal'c. Their exploits would eventually lead to the creation of the Atlantis Expedition, a group of people gathered from many countries to locate, explore, and seek to understand the lost city of the Ancients.

So much history of the gate and an almost equal amount of possible foreknowledge was locked in the mind of the woman running through the snow covered forest from the very enemy that could go toe to toe with the Ancients themselves. A world of fiction that had brought her so much joy in the past had now become a living nightmare as she fought to stay ahead of the very real monsters chasing her in the middle of a blizzard.

It had been nothing more than a movie, a television series, a story and nothing more. Stargate, Stargate SG1, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: Universe, and several other movies were all very high on her favorites list, but she never wanted to come face to face with a real live Wraith that was intent on sucking her dry of her precious life force. Now she had a small army of them chasing after with no sign of help.

She was desperately searching for a Stargate and she had been running for four days and three nights, praying for a miracle that would spare her life. Then again, it was a miracle that she hadn't been caught yet, but she knew that she was reaching her limit very quickly. Her body was exhausted, her legs ached from the cold and the constant exertion, and her lungs were on fire from the desperate wanting of more oxygen. Every fiber of her being was demanding her to slow down, but she couldn't. She had to keep going at all costs.

The further she ran, the higher the altitude became. She was crossing into a more mountainous area and that was bad news for her. The wind whipped around her like a massive roar, blowing her crimson hair around wildly. She skidded to halt as she came face to face with a cliff. It rose above her like a dark tower that was daring her to climb it. She looked back at the forest, her liquid sapphire eyes scanning the trees for any sign of movement. She had no doubt that her pursuers were close by. She had a few minutes at best and that was if she was lucky.

She immediately turned around and began tackling the cliff face, her bare hands crying in protest as she gripped the rocks tightly. She had to keep going, no matter how much pain she was in or how exhausted she was. She couldn't stop now because she knew that being fed upon by a Wraith was a fate worse than death. Worst still was the amount of knowledge in her head. If they discovered what she knew then the Atlantis Expedition and the Earth itself was in danger.

She made it up the first cliff and looked down. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw movement in the trees. They were far closer than she had anticipated, meaning she needed to move and fast. She turned back around and attacked the next cliff with a vengeance. Adrenaline, once again, started pumping through her veins, allowing her to become numb to the pain, to the exhaustion, and most certainly, numb to the elements.

She continued her ascension up the many cliffs, not even bothering to check her progress, because to hesitate now meant either certain death or a very painful extraction of information then death. She made it to the top of the mountain that had leveled off into some kind of plateau. She didn't pause as she ran across the snow covered field, the snow storm limiting her visibility quite a bit.

She soon discovered what appeared to be manmade columns and pillars. Despite the snow crunching under her feet, she could feel the flat stone underneath and her mind quickly rationalized the new input. She was must be in the ruins of some kind of temple, seeing as there wasn't much else. The blizzard lessened and with it some of her visibility returned.

She cried out in relief when she saw a giant circular, metal structure not that far in front of her. It was a Stargate, an actual Stargate! She quickly made her way over to the DHD, the Dial Home Device. She looked it over, trying to get a basic understanding of it. She glanced back briefly and decided that she didn't have the time to try and figure it out, so she started pressing random symbols. They lit up as she pressed each one and she prayed that she would connect on the first try.

Unfortunately, she wasn't even halfway through the dial out sequence when the gate activated, meaning someone was dialing in. She immediately abandoned her spot at the DHD and made a beeline for the nearest pillar, using it as cover so the new arrivals wouldn't see her straight away. It was more than likely the Wraith, trying to prevent her escape. She watched in a fair amount of awe as the wormhole connected, a stream of luminescent water erupting outwards before falling back in on itself to create a shimmer pool of silver-blue light.

Never before had she seen a sight so beautiful. The light danced and reflected off the still falling snow, making everything sparkle and shine. She sucked in a quick breath as some type of rover came through the gate. She almost couldn't believe it. It was a MALP, one of the recon rovers that the Atlantis Expedition used to explore other planets before sending a team through. She realized very quickly that this was her one and only shot at getting off this planet alive. She would rather deal with the Atlantis crew than a Wraith commander or worse.

She left her hiding spot behind the pillar and ran over to the rover. She swiftly located the camera and pointed it at herself, making certain that they could see her face.

"Help me please! The Wraith are coming!" She pleaded looking back across the plateau.

She couldn't see anything through the snow, despite the amount of light that the gate was producing. It was like trying to see through the Mist in the Feywood on the way to Giruvegan in Final Fantasy XII. She then turned back to the camera, her mind coming to a quick decision. There was one sure fire way of getting the Atlantis crew here and that was to reveal some of her knowledge and she knew exactly who she wanted to come and save her… _Major John Sheppard_.

"There isn't much time! Please, John! I know you can see me! John Sheppard! Help me!" She begged all of her hope and desperation written on her face.

After a long agonizing minute, the gate shut off, throwing the ruins into darkness. She let out a sob as the feelings of betrayal and abandonment surged to the surface, robbing her of what little strength she had left. The tears flowed down her face, stinging her eyes and freezing before they hit ground.

The adrenaline faded from her body as she realized that no one was coming for her and her body had been still too long. There was no way she could keep running now; the small margin of distance that she had maintained for the last four days with her pursuers was gone. She had risked it all and now her body was betraying her. Her resolve returned full force as she tried to rise to her feet, but only succeeded in her falling on her left side.

Her mind was screaming for her to get up, to keep going, to never give up, but her body refused to obey her. More minutes ticked by as she tried without success to move, to at least crawl, but her body had succumbed to exhaustion. She was so numb, having lost most of the feeling in her extremities, but she was painfully aware when she was jerked onto her back, the pain lancing through her system like thousands of knives.

Black eyes bored into her sapphire ones as the wraith raised its hand, poised to feed on her life force.

"You have done well, human, but the hunt is over. I will make your death a quick one…in honor of your valiant effort." He informed his voice like gravel.

"I hope you choke." She spat her voice hoarse but with eyes full of fire.

"Even now you resist when your own body has betrayed you." He stated seemingly amused by her comment.

"Never cruel or cowardly, never give up, never give in. The promise of my soul, so go ahead. Drain this shell of life, but you will _never_ claim my soul." She replied firmly.

"It's a shame. You'd make a good Wraith." He countered softly.

She glared at him for that comment, thoroughly insulted beyond words. He simply chuckled as he ripped open her shirt, exposing the bare flesh of her stomach, her bra, and her neck. He moved his hand to just above the bra and prepared to feed on her. His head whipped up when the gate suddenly activated. Within moments, the ruins were once again bathed in light, dancing and shimmering across the night sky.

"I think it's for you." She commented a small smile on her face and hope shining in her eyes once more.

He growled before standing up, only to be shot several times. Even with the wind howling around her, she could still the gun shots. There was some muffled shouting which was quickly followed by more gunfire, meaning that more of the Wraith had arrived and were currently being taken out.

She felt movement on her right side and she glanced in that direction. Although his face was partially covered by his gear and he was marginally backlit by the light from the Stargate, there was no mistaking the forest green eyes of one Major John Sheppard. It had actually come for her and that made her so incredibly happy.

"You're gonna be okay." He told her, the sound of his voice somewhat muted by his gear.

He quickly removed his snow jacket and covered her with it, making her almost sigh with relief. Despite being on the cold, hard ground, the residual warmth of his body heat was extremely welcomed. She was gradually becoming more aware of just how exhausted she was, but she wanted to say something to him first.

She opened her mouth to speak, but movement behind her would be savior drew her eyes behind him. It was a Wraith and it was raising its weapon to shoot him. Her body reacted solely on instinct, shielding him from the Wraith's weapon. Pain erupted across her left shoulder as the blast melted through her clothes skin. She felt arms wrap around her middle as several more shots were fired, probably from John himself.

She heard a muted thud, signaling that the target of the gunfire had gone down. The darkness was already swarming her eyes, limiting her vision. The last thing she saw was the worry and fear filled eyes of Major John Sheppard. Before slipped into unconsciousness, she smiled internally, happy that she wasn't alone anymore.

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Lady Artz: That's it for Chapter One: Chasing Hope! Whew! Talk about epic! I know that there wasn't much dialogue in this chapter. In fact, in the original draft, the only lines of dialogue was Artz's first two sections. I added in the stuff with the Wraith and that one line of John's when I typed it up. This is why you do a hand written version, my lovely readers.

Now then, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Two: The Calm before the Storm! Stay Tuned!


	2. Chapter 2: The Calm before the Storm

Lady Artz: Welcome back to my Stargate: Atlantis story called _Luminescence_! I apologize for the long wait, but I actually had to finish writing the chapter before I could type it up for everyone. *chuckles nervously*

Anyways, much love and over flowing gratitude to all those that have faved, followed, and reviewed this story along with all my other ones as well! You guys are the absolute best and your continued support means the world to me!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or anything else in the Stargate franchise. I only own my original character, Artz and the insanity that follows in her wake.

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Previously on Luminescence: Artz was being chased by the Wraith after mysteriously appearing on an alien world in the Pegasus Galaxy. After four days of chase, she found a Stargate and managed to contact the Atlantis expedition. The Wraith finally caught her, but they were soon dispatched by a team from Atlantis. Artz passed out after taking a shot that was meant for Major Sheppard, who had graciously come to her aid.

Looking ahead on Luminescence: Artz wakes up in the city of Atlantis and many things are revealed, including something that even she didn't see coming and sets in stone the path she must now walk.

On with the show!

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Chapter Two: The Calm before the Storm

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The crimson haired woman from a parallel world twitched slightly as the incessant beeping that had woken her continued to pound away into her ear drums. Her eyelids felt heavy and it was mildly difficult to open her eyes, but she eventually succeeded. The light was harsh at first, but her eyes slowly adjusted, giving her the first clear look at her surroundings.

The image that greeted her was an ornately carved ceiling with rings of light emitting a soft and pleasant light. She stared at the ceiling with intense fascination and belatedly she realized that the show never showed the ceilings, mostly just walls and floors. It took her a moment to tear her eyes away from the amazing ceiling to locate the origin of that incessant beeping noise. She found the source of her annoyance in the form of a heart monitor.

It was her own heartbeat that was driving her crazy. She found that kind of ironic considering how hard she had run just to keep that heart beating. She continued to look around the room; relatively plain looking blue-green walls, a bed on her right side, and at least two others to her left. There was a lot of monitors, something that looked like a rolling flat screen TV, and several metal racks holding a plethora of medical supplies.

Conclusion…she was in the recovery ward of the infirmary in Atlantis. She started shifting a bit, her hospital gown becoming a trite annoying. Finally, she gave up on finding a comfortable position and decided to sit up. Her body was sluggish, slow, and oddly heavy like she was being weighed down by dozens of weights.

A man with short brownish hair and kind eyes hurried over to her bedside, helping her to sit upright. He was wearing a light gray shirt, tan pants, and a long sleeved white lab coat. She knew who he was in an instant and it was nice to see a familiar face…one that wasn't a life sucking alien.

"Easy now. You've been asleep for quite a while, so you're gonna feel a little weak until you gain your strength back." He stated his Scottish very evident, but she understood him just fine.

Thank you, Twelfth Doctor, for having such a noticeable Scottish accent! She smiled internally at the comparison. She briefly wondered if they had Doctor Who in this universe and if so, how far along were they in the series? She mentally shook her head, clearing her mind to focus on the very real Doctor Carson Beckett standing next to her.

"Thank you, Carson." She replied surprising him.

"How'd you know my name?" He asked his face expressing mild surprise and slight weariness.

The ginger haired woman smiled at him, attempting to put him at ease. It did the trick and he settled down a bit, his earlier surprise beginning to dissolve.

"That is something to be discussed with Major Sheppard and Doctor Weir." She answered then frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her, "John is still a major, right?

It only just now dawned on her that she had no idea where they were in the timeline. She had a vague estimate considering Carson was still alive, but just how early she was? Carson was around until Season Three and if John was still a major, it would place her in Season One. If he was a Lieutenant Colonel then she would be in either Season Two or Season Three. She needed more information to establish a proper flow of time.

"Aye, he's a major." Carson replied seemingly confused by her inquiry.

Bingo! Damn, she sounded like Botan from Yu Yu Hakusho. She was in Season One of Stargate: Atlantis, but how far into the season was she? Judging from Carson's easygoing nature, she'd wager that she was past Rising Part I and Part II, but still left quite a gap. Were the Athosians still on the base or were they relocated to the mainland already? Have the Genii invaded the city and about what about the super storm that happened every two to three decades?

She snapped out of her thoughts when the rather worried looking Dr. Beckett waved his hand in front of her face, garnering her attention instantly.

"Sorry…what were you saying?" She asked looking up at him.

"I was asking what your name was." He answered concern filtering into his voice.

"Right, sorry. My name is Artimes Blaine, but you can call me Artz." She replied holding out her hand to him.

He smiled pleasantly and shook her hand gently, his eyes shifting from concern to mild amusement.

"Doctor Carson Beckett." He responded making her smile.

"Time to go and see Elizabeth." Artz stated swinging her legs off the side and completely ignoring Carson's protests.

The moment she tried to place any of her weight on her legs, they buckled. The brown haired doctor caught her about the waist and stopping what would have been a rather painful fall.

"I said you would be weak, Miss Artz. You need to take it easy." He chastised helping her to sit down on the bed again.

She glared at her legs like they were the enemy. Why the hell couldn't she stand up? So what if she ran for four days and three nights without rest, jumped over logs and roots, climbed a mountain, and nearly froze to death? She should have recovered some of her mobility after a few days.

"How long was I out for?" She asked trying to work out why she still felt so weak.

"Nine days." Carson answered without hesitation.

Her head snapped up to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise and a healthy dose of shock. Her mind came to a screeching to halt; trying desperately to rationalize why she had been asleep for so long, but nothing was making sense.

"Nine days?! I expected to be out at least three, but nine?! What the hell happened?!" She questioned thoroughly confused and slightly worried.

The brown haired doctor placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"Calm down, Miss Artz. Deep breaths. In, out, in, out." He directed making her take deep breaths to calm herself, "To answer your question, I had to sedate you to tend to your wound. It caused severe damage to your nervous system. I kept you sedated until it was fully healed."

Wound? When was she wounded? The ginger's mind brought up the memory of the Wraith about to shoot John with an energy weapon. Oh…now she remembered. She had jumped in the way to protect the major, taking on the full blast of the weapon and saving John's life. Well that was one of the finer moments of her life, but not one she wanted to repeat.

The amount of pain that had rippled across her entire body in never ending waves had been one of the most excruciating moments in her life. To go from one extremity to the other, the numbness of the cold to the electric fire was extremely unpleasant. Her entire body had felt like it had short circuited and when it finally stopped, she had completely lost the battle to remain conscious.

Was that what it felt like to be hit by energy weapon or was that a unique experience in and of itself? All she could say about that moment was damn. Hell paled in comparison. Confusion flittered across her eyes as she frowned. She didn't feel any pain. Was that normal? She should feel something…anything, but there wasn't any indications that she had been injured in the first place.

Did Carson give her some painkillers or something? It would explain why her body felt so heavy and slow to respond. She and prescription strength pain medications did not mix. They put her to sleep and make it feel like she was the walking dead.

"I don't feel any pain, Carson." She pointed out, rolling her left shoulder for emphasis.

Dr. Beckett chuckled softly, deepening her confusion and annoying her a bit. This wasn't funny! She was honestly confused and him laughing was not giving her the answers she so desperately wanted!

"Your body heals much faster than ours does, Miss Artz, so your wound has already fully healed." He replied giving her a warm smile.

Huh? That was only the only logical thought in her brain at that moment. What did he mean that her body healed faster? The question rolled out of her mouth before she could think about it further.

"What do you mean 'faster than ours'? Last time I checked, I was only human…plain, old human." She countered trying to understand.

Carson frowned, his brow furrowing slightly. He moved around the heart monitor and rolled a flat screen TV over to her bedside. He grabbed his portable tablet and started clicking on it.

"Alright, here we go." He started pulling up an image of a double helix, "This is normal human DNA."

"Where are you going with this, Carson?" She asked even more annoyed than before.

He was treating her like a four year old trying to learn why she had red hair instead of blonde or brown. It was highly insulting, but she held her tongue, remembering that the brown haired doctor didn't know anything about her or her prior education.

"This is from the blood work I ran when you first arrived and it's been the same every time I've run the test." He continued pulling up a second image next to the double helix.

Her eyes widened at the sight of a triple helix. Now she understood why Carson seemed so confused by her question. He believed that her DNA had always been that way, but that wasn't true in the slightest.

"A triple helix, but when did that happen? More to the point, how did it happen and why?" She questioned still staring at the screen with a mixture of fascination, worry, and confusion.

"You're saying it wasn't always like this?" He replied growing more concerned by the second.

"No, recent development…very recent. Must have happened when I was on that planet but why?" Artz answered her head tilting slightly as she continued to stare at the image of the triple helix.

The brown haired doctor set his tablet at the foot of her bed and rolled the screen away, making her pout slightly.

"I don't know how or why it changed, Miss Artz, but I promise I'll figure it out, but for right now, it's not life threatening." He replied coming to stand in front of her again.

"I know a little about triple helixes like they provide a slightly faster healing than a double helix." Artz stated trying to wrap her head around the fact that her DNA was different for some unknown reason.

"Aye, not just slightly faster…a lot faster. Any direct wound like a knife wound or gunshot wound would heal in a matter of hours instead of days. Your body also shows signs of improved reflexes and stamina." He elaborated.

"What about injuries caused by energy weapons? Are there any down sides to having triple helix DNA?" She questioned leading the conversation.

"A wound caused by an energy weapon would take much longer to heal because it affects a greater range of skin, muscle, tissue, nerves, and even some bones. As for any negative effects from your DNA, it would be the high increase in your metabolism. You're using a lot more energy than normal humans do, so you'll need to up your calorie intake by at least forty percent. Otherwise you run the risk of passing out from hunger or exhaustion." Carson answered crossing his arms as he went into doctor mode.

There was a few moments of silence as the red head thought over everything the brown haired doctor had told her. She healed faster, has improved reflexes and stamina, and she needed to increase how much she ate and drank by a rather large margin. So far there wasn't anything for her to really worry about…at least not right away.

"Artz?" Carson said touching her arm and drawing her attention to him once again, "How did you end up on that planet? How did you know my name? About Major Sheppard and Doctor Weir?"

Her eyes softened and her sapphire orbs filled with a bit of sadness. So Dr. Weir was using Carson to get information out of her? She wouldn't put it past Elizabeth to try such a tactic. After all, most humans found comfort in the doctor that saved their lives and would instinctively trust him, but Artz was in the small majority that loathed doctors with a passion.

She did trust Carson and she really liked him too, but he was still a senior member of Elizabeth's expedition team. His loyalty was to Dr. Weir and the crimson haired woman was a nobody…some random girl with no connection to any member of the Atlantis expedition. There was no reason to trust her, to stand by her, or protect her. Hell, they didn't even have to come and rescue her, but John did. Though she chocked that up to him being the kind of guy who did what was right and damned the consequences.

"That's a bit complicated." She answered finally, feeling extremely depressed.

A woman with slightly wavy, shoulder length brown hair and green-hazel eyes walked up. She was wearing a U-neck red shirt, a gray jacket with red stripes and the US flag on the left upper arm of the sleeve, and gray pants that matched her jacket. So the mastermind behind this little interrogation had finally arrived…Doctor Elizabeth Weir, commander of the Atlantis base.

"Then make it simple." The hazel eyed woman stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's easier said than done, Lizzy." Artz replied getting into a small staring contest with Atlantis commander.

Finally, Dr. Weir broke eye contact to look at Dr. Beckett.

"Doctor Beckett, I believe you have somewhere to be." The brown haired woman informed.

That was polite talk for 'Leave now so I can interrogate her without you hovering around her like a mother chicken'. Man, Elizabeth could be a real hard case sometimes, but then again, she was one of the best diplomats in two galaxies and was chosen to be the leader of the Atlantis expedition. She even headed up Stargate Command for a short while before Jack O'neill was promoted to Brigadier General and took over the position.

She was not a woman to be taken lightly and it was difficult to corral her into a compromise if she didn't want it. She was a tough opponent, so Artz decided to go for the most open and honest approach. She was going to tell Elizabeth the truth and she wasn't going to hold back either. If there was a chance she could save a few lives by revealing her knowledge then she was going to take it. Both Elizabeth and Carson died in the series and she was going to change that.

"Right…yes." He replied about to leave but then he looked back at his patient, "Just heading to the mainland to inoculate the wee babies. Shouldn't be gone too long."

Dr. Weir gave the brown haired doctor a disapproving look as she crossed her arms.

"She didn't need to know that, Dr. Beckett." Elizabeth chastised.

"If I were in her place, I'd want to know where my attending physician was going and what he was doing to take him away from me." Carson replied slightly defensive and his Scottish accent a touch heavier because of his irritation.

The crimson haired woman placed her right hand on his left shoulder, making him look back at her. He was confused by her action, but Artz didn't care. She was rather happy that he seemed so willing to defend her, even against the commander of the Atlantis expedition. Perhaps she had made more of an impression on Carson than she once believed.

He also gave her some much needed information. Dr. Beckett went to the mainland to inoculate some of the Athosian children shortly before the super storm hit in the episodes called _The Storm_ and _The Eye_. She was about dead center of the first season which wasn't all that bad. It just meant that she had to deal with a giant storm and the Genii strike force coming to pillage the lost city of the Ancients.

"It's alright, Carson." She soothed smiling softly at him to put him at ease.

"But…" He started about to argue some more.

"You are the chief medical officer of the Atlantis base and a single patient cannot monopolize your time. Go inoculate the wee babies. I will be just fine…for a little while." Artz interrupted her tone slipping into a mild Scottish accent.

"What do you mean 'for a little while'?" Elizabeth questioned walking forward a few steps and dropping her arms to her sides.

"When Carson goes to inoculate the Athosian children, that's when the…" the red head began only to stop because her throat suddenly sealed itself shut.

She grabbed her throat with her hands, trying to breathe. Her eyes grew wide with panic as she realized that she was going to suffocate. Her heart monitor went crazy, her heart pumping faster in an attempt to get the non-existent oxygen to her vital organs.

Both doctors bolted forward to help her, pushing her back onto the bed. She started gagging in a desperate struggle to get even a tiny bit of air into her lungs.

"What the hell is happening to her, Carson?!" The hazel eyed commander demanded trying to hold the ginger down.

Carson shined a pen light into Artz's mouth, eliciting a small gasp of shock from the medical man.

"Her airway is completely sealed off! She's suffocating!" He answered trying everything and anything to open the red head's airways.

Tears leaked out of the ginger's eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen and her vision was already starting to go out of focus. She was going to die and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She couldn't die this way! Not before she told them! She needed to warn them before it was too late! She had to be good for something!

"She was trying to tell us something, maybe to warn us!" Elizabeth started taking Artz's face and holding it in her hands, making the ginger focus on her, "Artz, was that what you trying to do? To warn us?"

The crimson haired woman gave a small nod, unable to give a more elaborate answer. She saw an idea flash in Dr. Weir's eyes and hope surged to the surface.

"Think about something else! Think about…" The Atlantis commander started but faltered when she didn't know what to suggest.

"Major Sheppard! Think about the major!" Carson ordered having no other way of helping her.

Artz's vision became darker as a memory flashed before her mind's eye. It was the image of worry and fear filled green eyes. John's eyes had been so kind and warm. She had felt completely safe in his arms. She allowed that feeling of safety to flood her mind like a tidal wave, with it the feeling of his warm body close to hers, holding her close as she lost consciousness.

The ginger sucked down a big gulp of air forcing her to turn on her right side as she coughed violently. Both Dr. Beckett and Dr. Weir held onto her, making certain she didn't roll off the bed. She kept gulping down more air to feed her oxygen deprived lungs, so much so that she got a little lightheaded. The tension slowly faded from her body as she stopped coughing.

"Artz, what happened?" Elizabeth asked once she was sure that the ginger could actually answer.

"I was…trying to tell you…about the future. Bad idea…apparently." The red head answered still breathing heavily, a few tears falling from her eyes.

"But how could you know about the future?" Carson asked helping her to sit up again.

Artz took a few more calming breaths before launching into her tale about parallel worlds, about the movies and the shows, about her sudden appearance on an alien planet, and how she ended up at the Stargate.

"And you expect me to believe all that?" Dr. Weir questioned with an eyebrow raised and highly skeptical eyes.

The crimson haired woman sighed heavily. She knew it was hard pill to swallow, but there was no choice. She continued her story by citing the events from the original Stargate mission to Abydos. After that, she started in on the events of Stargate SG1. She hit the section where Stargate: Atlantis branched off in its spinoff, listing off the missions they had done thus far.

Her throat closed up again when she tried to tell them about the episodes called _The Storm_ and _The Eye_. With some minor direction from Carson and Elizabeth, Artz was able to breathe again after she stopped coughing. She wiped away the few stray tears caused by her recent episode.

"So every time I try to tell you about future events, I self-suffocate. Chavtastic." She griped bitterly, once again on her right side.

"The important thing is that you tried to warn us…that something is coming that we need to be prepared for." The Atlantis commander replied running her right hand through the ginger's hair in a comforting manner.

"Two somethings." Artz stated trying to get up.

Elizabeth pushed her back down on the bed and covered her mouth so she couldn't say anything more.

"Not another word, Artz. Otherwise, Dr. Beckett is gonna strangle me for endangering his favorite patient." The hazel eyed woman ordered with a no nonsense tone of voice.

"Aye. She needs some rest and I really do need to get going, so no provoking her or trying to wheedle information out of her while I'm gone. I think we've done enough damage for one day." Carson concurred completely serious.

"Yes sir." Dr. Weir replied giving him a mock salute, making the ginger smile.

Dr. Beckett left soon after once he was sure that Artz would be alright while he was gone. The Atlantis commander left briefly and returned with some clothes for the red head to wear once she was strong enough to get out of bed. Elizabeth then left her alone. The crimson haired woman pondered over everything that had happened in such a short span of time.

She couldn't say anything about the super storm barreling towards the Atlantis base nor could she saying anything about the Genii strike force that was going to invade the city while everyone but Dr. Weir, Dr. McKay, and Major Sheppard were gone. How she was going to be any help if she couldn't say anything about the future? There had to be some way around that little hiccup.

She sat up suddenly, an idea forming quickly in her mind. She couldn't _say_ anything, but that didn't mean that she couldn't _do_ anything. After all, she knew what the Genii were after; explosives, medical supplies, and the puddle jumpers. If she could get to the armory, she could hide the C4 that much sooner and free up some of John's time, allowing him to reach the naqueda generators and disable them that much faster.

She slid off the bed and fought to stay upright. She focused all her energy on getting to the table that held the clothes that Dr. Weir had left for her. With great effort, she managed to change out of the incredibly annoying hospital gown and into the somewhat more comfortable Atlantis uniform. They were obviously from Elizabeth's wardrobe, because the woman had a smaller frame than the red head did.

Artz completely filled out the hips, making the upper portion of the pants look melted and poured on her. The shirt was tight around her bust line and rode up a bit, revealing a small part of her stomach, because she was slightly larger than a C cup in the breast department. Fortunately, the socks and boots fit just fine and were not too loose or too tight.

Not that she minded at this point in time. She needed to put her plan into action and get her body up to speed before the storm passed the mainland. She was going to do a lot of running soon and probably a fair share of fighting as well, but hey…that was life in the Pegasus Galaxy, right?

Time to lock and load. Artz was going to war.

* * *

Lady Artz: That's it for Chapter Two: The Calm before the Storm! Whew! Lots of talking in this one and a bit more story development too. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Three: The Storm Part I! Stay Tuned!


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